Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 10:57:37 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Advice about how to deal with auto shipper damage
In-Reply-To: <050920081045.15089.48242B640007D7A700003AF12212020784CECFCFCD9F9D0EBCB6@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
HI john c.
Your experience exactly reflects one I had - took me THREE MONTHS to get
someone to haul the thing, a hi-top adventurewagen from Virginia to Oregon.
And in my experience, even though they say they are a shipping company -
they are just brokers.
Even though they say the 150 bucks is a deposit it is really their broker
fee. I had a guy - 'Easy Transport' or some company like that - they offer
the quote - but it's NOT a quote - it is their bid they'll put up on the
board for driver's to pick up the haul if they are interested . -
And they guy I was dealing with on the phone .........about 25 times, he
told me, I think I have something for you, I'll call back in a while, swear
to god, I'll call you right back in a while, on my mother's grave - he never
once called back of course.
So they told me to raise my bid. I started at $ 1,100, went up to 1,200,
and finally to 1,350 .........and finally, after 3 months of messin' around,
trying other companies etc - the first quote I got was $ 1,850 - to close to
2 grand - that was with another company.
But finally a driver too the haul. He doesn't work for the broker
company, he's just a guy with a truck, picking up hauls that look profitable
or convenient. A hi-top Vanagon made it harder to get anyone to take it, as
they need a small car to fit over or under it and still stay under legal
height. The driver even had to let the air out of the tires on van to make
it fit !
Here's some of the other things I was told - the driver said, prior to
hauling it, if it doesn't start right up and drive off my truck, it's 300
extra bucks to drag it off, no exceptions.
Another company said the hop scotch their hauls from terminal to terminal.
It might go through Minneapolis or Texas on the way from Virgina to Oregon.
It the van won't start, they just shove it off the truck at whatever
terminal it is, and it's your problem.
Whew. Scary. There are certain industries where the norm is 'just barely
what you contracted for' - remolding and construction is notorious for
that. Same for the car shipping industry. It's a gamble.
Get it in writing - of course.
What I know, is if it's some company 5 states away, and they screw
up........it's a huge amount of work usually to get them to take any
responsibility. To the point of it's not worth it, and just hope any
beating you have to take isn't too bad.
The loss of a special kit car body hood is a serious loss though. Not like
you can just go find one in a junk yard. Also .........a factor, kit car
bodies are not as well made as car manufacture's car's bodies - and any
latch mechanism is likely to not be that great, or deteriorated with age, or
wasn't maintained by anyone.
But for sure.........and driver seeing a hood like that next time should
either not take the haul. Or secure the hood 5 other ways. Probaby not best
to have a car like that on the top level either, and I assume enclosed
hauling is about twice as costly.
With the price of gas now too..........man.
I'd be willing to offer more up front in the first place, and just get it
done. I had a a bid ( they call it their quote ) riding for an easy two
months before anyone would pick it up - had to raise my bid twice.
Good luck !
Scott
Wwww.turbovans.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
John C...
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 3:46 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Advice about how to deal with auto shipper damage
This may not be of help at this point, for your situation, Ken,
But, as I'm in the middle of trying to get an 87 Transported from NY to UT
What I've got to say may help others.
"GET IT IN WRITING" !!!!
Insist on it! Every Detail !!
They wont do it (put it in writing) if you don't insist on it!
Don't do the business over the phone !
Do it with E-mail, so you have it in writing!
I have had the transport Co. Jack my Quote up Twice!
The First time I went along with it, because this was the second Co
I was trying to get to move the Vanagon.
The first Co took a Month & couldn't get it moved.
Since I was so"easy" the first time, they tried to jack the price up again.
I told them no way & to cancel.
They wouldn't send me a cancellation E-mail until I insisted. (I took it to
the manager)
The could have charged me a $75 cancellation fee without
some proof it was because of Them!
Well, I'm on to the Third Shipping Company
And I hope to have better luck with them!
But, Just as in the Real estate Business...
If it's not in writing
It Never Happened!!!
I cringe at the level of competency in America today (the world?)
Nobody can count change, & They dont even say "Thanks for shopping here"
anymore ???
Ya gotta cover yer behind every turn in the road it seems :o(
OK, sorry, my Rant for today ;o)
Good luck getting your project fixed, for sure!
John C...
-------------- Original message --------------
From: Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
> I wanted to ask the advice of the list about a problem that I am
> having. I have shipped and received vehicles many, many times with no
> incidents or problems over the years however I guess you are bound to
> have a problem eventually. I recently had a Sterling Kit car shipped up
> here to NJ from KY. The driver calls me tonight to tell me that he is
> going to deliver the car tomorrow morning. That is fine. However he
> then proceeds to tell me that he had the car on the upper level of the
> car hauler and that at some point in the trip the hood of the car has
> blown off. So now I am being delivered a damaged vehicle and I am not
> sure what my options are. I am thinking about just noting this on the
> shipping form and then taking the loss of the hood up with the shipping
> company. The driver tells me that he has already told them about the
> problem and that they are telling him that because it was a kit car it
> should have been transported in an enclosed carrier instead of in an
> open carrier so they aren't responsible for the loss of the hood.
> However I was really clear with the shipping company when we were
> scheduling the pick up of the car that it was a kit car. The guy I was
> talking to knew all about kit cars and told me that he was thinking
> about buying one himself. I gave him the website address of Sterling so
> that he could take a look and see what the car was like. I figure if it
> was an issue about transporting the car on an open carrier they should
> have said something to me at that time. Or the driver should have came
> to pick up the car and then said, Nope I can't transport the car this
> way we are going to need to use a closed carrier, etc. I feel that
> since they picked up the car then it is there responsibility to deliver
> it in one piece. After all I didn't pay for most of the car to be
> shipped to me here in NJ, I paid for all of the car to be shipped here.
>
> Anyone have a similar experience? How did you deal with it? How did it
> come out in the end?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
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